“Great! A reader suggested a content idea! This must be what my audience wants! I should definitely write this.”

Should you? Think about it…

The rest of your audience might not care as much, or need the content…

You’re letting another person run your blog?

Does that reader really know what’s best for them? (incoming controversy)

Is that topic what you’re really prepared to write on right now?

Is that topic directly related to the change you’re seeking to make?

The point is, serving your audience might not look like what you think it looks like.

Another example…blog ghost writers.

I met a rather large blogger at FinCon who stated he no longer writes his own blog posts…despite his name being attached to them.

Sketchy? In-authentic? Lame? Maybe…but his reasoning sold me…

Writing blog posts is not how he can best serve his audience right now.

Running the business, making sure content goes out at appropriate times to the appropriate channels, managing his team, and 1-on-1 interactions w/ followers is the best of use of his time. Not writing the blog posts.

Question for you then… How can you best serve your audience today? What does that look like?

pin me pin me! I like being pinned!

5 – Relationships are still more important than ever.

Do you want to have a long-term blog? Make long-term revenues? Quit the job, blah blah?

Perhaps the single best tactic for achieving this is to blog regularly and produce meaningful content.

Ok ok ok.

The second best tactic for achieving that is to build relationships with other bloggers.

Only good can come of this. Fellow bloggers are going to be your biggest source of inspiration, critique, accountability, shares, and other unknown opportunities.

Grow your blog? Befriend bloggers.

6 – Stop fearing and being intimidated by bloggers bigger than yourself.

No joke, Wednesday at FinCon I spotted Darren Rowse walking around the expo hall at FinCon.

By himself.

On 3 different occasions.

This guy is half responsible for a million bloggers doing what they do, makes like 13 figures a year, reaches a staggering % of the Earth’s population every month, and is otherwise the keynote speaker at FinCon.

Why was he walking by himself? (Also, it wasn’t like he was walking somewhere for a purpose, he was meandering.)

Folks were intimidated and afraid. I know I was.

But this fear is incredibly stupid for the following reason:

Big-time bloggers are normal people too.

They experience the same emotions we do. The same struggles we do. The same imposter-syndrome we do (well maybe not David Bach).

So I pushed through the fear and went up to Darren the next time I saw him. And what was he like?

Delightfully human. Sincerely nice and down-to-earth guy.

So let’s be more fearless, yes?

On a conference expo hall, on Twitter, via Email. Big bloggers are human too. Do not be afraid or intimidated to walk up and say “Hello, and thank you.”

meeting Darren Rowse!

7 – We ALL suffer from imposter syndrome.

Saturday at FinCon, I needed a break.

I needed 10 minutes of introvert time (which means I really just wanted to sneak away to the sports bar in the hotel and watch the UGA game. Go Dawgs.)

So I did. I was 3.5 minutes into my football-watching when I felt a tug at my arm…

A brilliant blogger who I look up to a TON asked me to come sit at her table for dinner. So I left the football game, sat with her, Heather, and Lee….and proceeded to have a life-changing conversation for the next two hours.

You may have noticed I skipped Rosemarie’s #1 piece of advice.

So if you’d like to see what my single biggest weakness is, and how Rosemarie suggests I FIX it in 2018, you can grab it below.

This ain’t no free lunch. This is a blog.

This bonus video is high-caliber content that could literally change your life (it did for me), and it’s gonna cost you dat email.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up below to see my biggest weakness, Rosemarie’s #1 tip, and let’s do WORK in 2018.

***

BONUS – the people I was most impressed with at FinCon.

Turns out Mrs. Adventure Rich could TOTALLY be an amazing podcaster. We hit the floor at FinCon together, interviewing random bloggers, with her taking the lead. She’s a natural. (That audio coming soon).

Chris at Keep Thrifty (on the podcast here) essentially crushed networking last week. He seemed to be everywhere, in so many conversations. This blog is going places.

Ms. Montana is a lot smarter than we all think (and I’m pretty sure we think she’s smart anyways). Also a great networker (and super fun person), I got a small glimpse into some of the stuff she has coming up, as well as her blog mentees 🙂

John at ESI Money is the man. Energy, attitude, smarts, friendships with the OG blogging crew. John has a TON to offer in this blog-o-sphere, and I was super impressed with this story (which not incidentally will be featured on the podcast soon).

PT Money himself (on the podcast here). This dude is the real deal. He’s largely responsible for the incredible blogging and personal finance communities, and he runs a KILLER conference. Couldn’t be more impressed.

Mediavine. Yes, the ad company. Yes, I’m (mostly) against bloggers showing ads on their site. BUT, I did have a chance to meet with their team, and was super impressed with that they’re doing for bloggers and how they go about serving ads. I’m doing a podcast with one of the co-founders (Hi Amber!), as I think their message needs to be spread.

J Money.Meeting him in person was exactly what I expected. He’s entirely too much fun (and also responsible for this incredible community).

Chris at Popcorn Finance. His short-form podcast has only been around for a few months, but it’s good. I really, really like Chris. He has a fantastic attitude, and is definitely going places with the podcast.

Amy at Life Zemplified was kind of like glue, in a good way. I feel like she was always building up and holding together a crowd of bloggers. She has that welcoming spirit. She was a delight 🙂

Monica Louie (coming up on the podcast next actually!) has unbelievable moves on the dance floor, for one…and is otherwise a strong networker and connecter. She introduced me to several people. Oh, and she’s one of THE top growing names when it comes to Facebook ads. Period. She’s amazing.

Me, Adam at minafi.com, and Miss Thrifty all went out for coffee/donuts on Saturday morning. I already knew Adam (who is a brilliant blogger), but sincerely enjoyed getting to meet and engage with a top UK personal finance blogger, Miss Thrifty! Kudos to them for waking up early. It was super fun 🙂

My bud Lee at Bald Thoughts travel blog gave THE best ignite presentation. He absolutely killed on stage.

Pat Flynn. Though he was incredibly busy, I did get a chance to meet him briefly, then play basketball with him. I BLOCKED HIS SHOT. This is my current blogging claim to fame. Let it be known.

There were many, many more.

If you are one of the people I hung out with at FinCon17, you should know that I enjoyed your company. (unless you’re the one tall dude with black hair who always rubbed me the wrong way. But you’re not. That dude won’t make it to this blog post).

I cherish you. Thank you for helping make last week’s experience so amazing! And sorry if I left anyone out of the list above. Don’t feel bad. Those were just the “top of mind” folks. 🙂 🙂

I’m not joking either. Unless you have some prior experience we don’t know about…almost nobody could just take a mic and and start doing intros, asking good questions, and cut down on excess awkward pauses. It was crazy.

Such a great post! It was a great conference and there were so many people to chat with. People I never heard of, but are doing or about to do great things! It was my first time there. But I’m excited for what might come in the coming years. Oh, and Darren totally jacked a lot of my content. 😉 It’s ok. Common knowledge, right?

Great post and podcast. It got me thinking about my avatar and I realized I didn’t really have one. When I tried to picture myself as a teacher or companion.. I couldn’t because my avatar doesn’t have the right face. Time to refocus and rebuild… Thanks for your help Pete.

Fantastic post Pete. As the one blogger that missed this event, I appreciate you and everybody else giving us this feedback. So much to learn. Being anonymous may make it harder to be authentic but I think I may be able to pull it off.

This is so wonderfully written! The two big takeaways I got were about selling the transformation and Darren’s talk about an avatar. I’m familiar with creating an ideal reader profile but he put it into words that made it so much easier to approach and tackle.

This was my 2nd time going to FinCon and it felt a lot better than the last. I’ve found my blogging voice and I made an effort to really get out and stop being so intimidated to approach bigger bloggers.

I saw you at least a three dozen times while at the conference but I was always in a conversation or doing something. I should have said hi!

Pete, you’re one cool guy! It was awesome to meet you and hang out… and of course, to help save a man’s life on an Uber ride!

I agree 100% that turned out to be a life-changing experience for me as well. And for me, it wasn’t the sessions really, but it was just being around the people. Everyone wanted to be there, shared the same passion, and wanted to get to know each other personally. It was such a place of energy that I still haven’t gotten a chance to fully take it all in.

Awesome post! Let’s have some good times in Orlando next year as well!

Pete, these are absolutely fantastic takeaways, I couldn’t be at FinCon yet I feel incredibly inspired reading this. BTW, how tall is Pat Flynn? I mean, he seems like he’s a hair over 5 feet in pictures, how hard could it be? Haha, I kid. Very cool indeed. : )

Pete, this is an AMAZING post. I love every single takeaway. I didn’t get a chance to go to Fincon this year, but after a case of serious FOMO, I immediately signed up for next year! I particularly love your last takeaway about authenticity and transparency. For me, that’s been my #1 priority over any tactics (like Pinterest, etc.), and I think it’s really helped me grow my audience.

Pete, thank you so much for the kind mention. I loved recording with you today, and I’m more than happy to answer yours or anyone’s questions about how we do things differently. The balance between user experience and income is possible!

Great article, Pete! It can be super difficult to stay focused, not just on ROI, but the task at hand. What usually brings me back into focus is the following quote: “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” – Marcus Aurelius. It helps me decide on a goal and figure out which obstacles I need to overcome to be successful.

In regards to getting more email subs, have you thought about including an email signup box/link at the end of your posts or as part of the show notes?

The article is a real Gem! I am astound!!! I am going to read it as many times it takes to grasp every single advise that you shared, Pete.
My biggest take away on first read :
‘stop writing things for any reason besides to make the change you seek to make’.

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